Sumathilatha Sakthi Velavan, MBBS, DGO, MS

Biography

Sumathilatha Sakthi Velavan, MBBS, DGO, MS joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Marian University- College of Osteopathic Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Anatomy in 2017. Dr. Sakthi Velavan is an experienced clinician and anatomist with over 13 years of experience as an educator of medical students. She primarily teaches Histology and Anatomy to the students of MU-COM.

Dr. Sakthi Velavan is a physician who graduated from one of the prestigious Medical Schools of South India– Madras Medical College in 1999. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Sakthi Velavan also further specialized as an Anatomist by completing an academic program of Masters in Surgery in the branch of Anatomy at Madras Medical College, India.

Dr. Sakthi Velavan, apart from being experienced in patient care, also taught Anatomy, Histology, Embryology, and Neuroanatomy in the Medical Schools in India for almost ten years. Being a clinician, she effectively impacts students’ learning with her clinically oriented teaching. Prior to joining Marian University, she was a faculty of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine at New York where she educated Osteopathic Medical students from 2014- 2017. Her innovative teaching methodology and passion to educate and motivate her students were widely appreciated by the students and faculty of this institution. She was recognized and awarded, “Frank Gray Teacher of the year-2017” by Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Clinical/Research Interests

Dr. Sakthi Velavan is immensely interested in the clinical implications of unique and clinically significant human anatomical variations. Her research on Anatomical variations contributes not only to the field of Anatomy but also to the clinical specialties, that depend heavily on the knowledge of Anatomy. Her primary research was on the variability of the branching pattern of a major pelvic vessel, the internal iliac artery, and its branches. She has presented and published her findings in many academic conferences and specialty journals. She was the pioneer of multiple research projects on Anatomical variations at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Sakthi Velavan has guided twenty medical students in their research and directed their scholarly activities.

Dr. Sakthi-Velavan is also interested in research on innovative teaching methodology in medical education. Appropriate use of cadaveric dissection combined with innovative teaching is the need of present day’s Anatomy curriculum. In this regard, she conducted a study on, ‘Lab Videos in Anatomy Education: Students’ perception and performance.’ The present day’s Medical Curriculum requires the medical students to be best prepared to offer quality health care. Being an experienced Anatomist, she has delivered invited lectures on Anatomy Education related topics. Dr. Sakthi Velavan also serves as a peer reviewer for six specialty journals.